To my eye, it looks like the top of the newel post and the upper section of the railing is a different wood than the lower railing and the bottom of the newel post. So you don't drive yourself nuts, I'd paint the newel post and railings the same white as the balusters and call it a day.

Agree...the railing isn't one piece of wood and I think staining it will make it very noticeable. So paint. Just a fun thought...remove the finial and replace it. Do the railing another color.

Search finials and caps.

Looks like oak, with the possible exception of the square-profiled bits. The color on the railing appears to be a good match for the floor (I'm sure it'll need some adjustment, but it's totally in the realm of "close enough for stairs").

Painting just the newel to match the spindles would look good if you can't get it to match.

Thanks everyone! The square parts of the newel (everything visible on the bottom and one side on the top) have some samples I tested. I will definitely consider painting newel white. Will probably keep playing with stain to make rails as close as possible to match the floor. I love how black rails look but I don't think it will look good with what I have.

Your handrails and post are red oak.

You will need to find out what the finishing process was for your floors. And then, copy it for your handrails in order for it to match. If, you change the process and do something different, it won't match.

I wish folks would read...............: )

"We had our red oak floors refinished with a custom mix of simply white and weathered oak. I have the leftovers of the stain."

By the way.....A soft black railing, satin finish, looks good nearly everywhere. There are a thousand shades of "black" : )

I'd do that before I drove myself crazy for a perfect match, where the grain, and nature of the oak will be no "different" than the variations between boards in your floor.

Homeowner need to take in consideration the sanding grit used (finer grits will prevent stain from absorbing), waterpopping makes the color richer and intense and top coats can alter the final look. Any changes there will change the look. Having just the stain, custom or not is not enough for a match.

Water popping will defintely make it look different. Which the post looks like it has been water popped.

Best thing to do is to talk to the floor finisher and find out what their entire process was and mimic it.

I fail to see what the problem is. All the unpainted wood looks just about the same as is. It's all oak, and it looks like it has been bleached or whitewashed. Because it's real wood, it has variations, and that's natural and very nice looking. You can see the difference in the floorboards as well as in the upper and lower parts of the railing. If you like the light wood look, then just seal it and call it a day.

I agree with Diana Bier Interiors. Part of the newel and balustrade appear very close to the floor (at least in the photo). I doubt you will ever get an exact match. The wood of your stair railing looks pretty good in general. So, I think I would step back, live with it for a while and see if it grows on you.

" Because it's real wood, it has variations, and that's natural and very nice looking. "

I totally agree. Wood color looks good. However this space lacks something (in my opinion). These photos are cropped, we can't see all the staircase walls.

Appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Just to answer few questions.

- there was no water popping process used on the floor

- I am totally fine with variations in the wood, no issues there

Biggest thing for me was I used the same stain on rails as was used in the floor with different results and had to strip it all off. Hence, my thought about type of woods. But experts suggest it is oak. I like how the raw wood looks but I have to seal it.

Stupid question may be, would sealing with water based poly not change the darkness of the wood? I can give it a shot in a small area and see how it responds.

Yes, paint is opaque, but not unchanging. It chips, especially on a bannister.

From here it appears your stair parts possibly aren't sanded smooth enough and the excess stain wasn't removed aggressively enough. White stains are chalky and they can be hard to wipe properly. It would be smart to acquire a scrap piece of Red Oak, make a sample, then finish the stair parts using the process that gets your sample to match your floor. When your non-yellowing urethane is applied it will bring the wood color out a little, so your sample should include at least one coat of finish.

I also think its best to paint that post white.